Read Online Three Down the Aisle by Sherryl Woods - Free Book Online Page A

otherwise.”
    He walked away before she could think of anything to say. Besides, it wasn’t the time or the place to pursue the subject, so Melanie simply followed him as he went after Jessie.
    They drove back to her house in silence. Jessie had fallen asleep in the back seat, so Mike left her there and unloaded the plants quickly.
    “Keep ’em watered till we can get them into the ground,” he said when everything was out of the back of the truck. “I’ll be by to help when I have some time.”
    “Sure,” she said. “Thanks for taking me along today.”
    He gave her a curt nod, then strode back to the car and drove off, leaving Melanie to stare after him and wonder about the woman who’d hurt him so badly he didn’t trust Melanie not to do the same. Worse, she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t. The only way to be sure was to avoid getting involved with him and Jessie in the first place.
     
    Melanie wasn’t all that surprised when Mike showed up on her doorstep on Monday morning, most likely right after dropping Jessie off at school.
    “Do you have a minute?” he asked, looking vaguely uneasy.
    “Sure. Come on in. I just made coffee. Want some?”
    “Coffee sounds great.”
    He took a seat at the kitchen table, but when Melanie had handed him his mug of coffee and seated herself across from him, he avoided her gaze. She could have let the silence go on, but it was beginning to get on her nerves.
    “I suppose you came by to warn me again about getting too close to Jessie,” she said. “I’ve thought about it, and I can see your point.”
    “Actually I came to apologize,” he said, meeting her gaze. “I made it seem as if you’d done something wrong, when you’d been nothing but kind to her all day long. Most people wouldn’t have jumped in to take charge when she was about to throw a tantrum. They’d have run for the hills.”
    “It wasn’t a big deal. She’s a great kid.”
    “She’s a troubled kid,” he corrected. “I’m sure you figured that out.”
    “Because you and her mom are divorced,” Melanie said.
    “That and…” He seemed to be struggling to find the right words. “Well, because her mom was addicted to drugs when Jessie was born. It’s affected Jessie. She was born addicted, too.”
    “Oh, Mike, I’m so sorry.”
    “She’s okay for the most part, but there are lingering effects, like the tantrums over nothing. One minute she’s fine, the next she’s out of control. It’s like living with a time bomb, only I don’t have any idea when it’s set to go off.”
    Melanie’s heart ached for both of them. “That must be incredibly frustrating for both of you.”
    He frowned. “I didn’t come here so you could pity me. I just thought you should know why I’m so protective of her. Keeping Jessie on an even emotional keel is hard enough without people coming and going in her life.”
    Melanie wanted to argue that children needed to learn that people would always come and go, but how could she? Not only was it not her place, but it was probably entirely different for a child who’d lost her mother. Having that relationship severed at such an early age had to be traumatic. Additional losses would only bolster Jessie’s fear that it was unsafe to give her love to anyone. It could have a lasting effect on her emotional wellbeing.
    Before Melanie could think of what she could say, Mike stood up. “Well, that’s all I wanted you to know. I’d better get going. I have a delivery at one of my jobs this morning, and I need to be there to supervise getting all the plants into the ground. I should be able to get by here to help you by midweek.”
    “Whenever it’s convenient,” she told him. “I just appreciate your willingness to take this on.”
    Melanie walked him back to the door. Impulsively, she reached up and touched his cheek. “You’re a terrific dad, especially given the trying circumstances. I hope you know that.”
    Surprise flickered in his eyes. “What makes